Benteke Getting Close To His Best

27 August 2016

Christian Benteke feels there is much more to come from him following a promising Premier League debut for Palace, insisting he is still not operating at his very best.

Asked how he felt he performed in the 1-1 draw with AFC Bournemouth, the Eagles' record signing was refreshingly honest, saying: "Average, I would say, because of course I could have done better, but it was my first full game in a long time, so I was just getting back in shape. We took one point and that's better than losing."

The Belgian striker had found game time hard to come by during pre-season at Liverpool, so was having to play catch up once making the move to south London and got his first minutes in red and blue on Tuesday night against Blackpool.

When asked whether he was lacking general fitness or just match sharpness, Benteke was again honest, saying: "I think a little bit of both. Today I had the chance to play 90 minutes and I felt a little bit tired at the end, but I'm now closer to my best, so I'm really happy.

"It was unbelievable the atmosphere today," he added. "Especially in the second half, they pushed us on and we can be thankful to them, they helped us to score the crucial goal."

To watch the full video interview with Christian, as well as one with goalscorer Scott Dann and the manager's press conference, CLICK HERE.